Review of Breaking In

Weary loner veteran professional thief Ernie Mullins (Burt Reynolds at his most relaxed and engaging) teaches eager beaver small-time novice Mike Lafebb (a fine and likable performance by Casey Siemaszko) the tricks of the trade by having Mike assist him on a series of heists. Director Bill Forsyth, working from a smart and witty script by John Sayles, brings a real sweet idiosyncratic charm and a good-natured sensibility to the premise. Moreover, Forsyth wisely eschews broad humor in favor of a more gentle and low-key approach that still gets laughs as well as adds a winningly natural and unforced warmth to the often delightfully quirky proceedings. The mentor/student relationship between the two sympathetic central characters gives this picture genuine heart, depth, and poignancy, with Reynolds doing ace work as a seasoned older man with a limp, bad knees, and a strong personal code of ethics about what he does for a living. The skillful and precise capers are a total joy to watch. The excellent acting by the super cast keeps the movie humming: Reynolds and Siemaszko display a loose and pleasant chemistry in the leads, with sturdy support from Sheila Kennedy as ditsy prostitute Carrie, Lorraine Toussaint as worldly hooker Delphine, Maury Chaykin as shrewd lawyer Vincent Tucci, and Stephen Tobolowsky as a slippery district attorney. Both Michael Coulter's crisp widescreen cinematography and Michael Gibbs' harmonic score are up to speed. A lovely little gem.